The present invention relates to elongated roofing members, to a method and an apparatus for roofing using elongated roofing members to form a roof, and a roof formed by the method and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for on-site production of elongated roofing members and for interconnection of the elongated roofing members with a structure and with each other to form a roof.
Roofings constructed from elongated roofing members, particularly metallic elongated roofing members, have been popular for many years due to their durability, fire resistance, and energy conservation characteristics. Examples of roofings constructed from elongated roofing members are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 451,550, issued May 5, 1891, to Bayer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,775, issued Sep. 30, 1980, to Hecklesberg; U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,794, issued Feb. 3, 1920, to Moomaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,581, issued Oct. 27, 1981 to Hecklesberg.
Previous elongated roofing members had various cross-sectional profiles to accomodate the interconnection of the sides of adjacent roofing members.
For example, in Bayer, an elongated trapezoidal form is provided adjacent each side of each elongated roofing member for interlocking with a similar elongated trapezoidal form on an adjacent elongated roofing member. Once a section of roof is assembled, the superimposed elongated trapezoidal forms are hammered such as to collapse them together against the structure to which the roof is mounted. The elongated roofing member of Bayer uses a substantial amount of overlap to provide a joint between adjacent elongated roofing members, thus requiring the use of a large amount of material to provide a roof. Furthermore, the joint is formed by a hammering operation which is expensive in its use of labor and machinery.
Moomaw uses interlocking elongated rounded beads to form a joint between adjacent elongated roofing members. To interlock one elongated roofing member of Moomaw with an adjacent roofing member requires some maneuvering of one of the elongated roofing members relative to the other in order to engage one of the elongated beads with the other. Thus, the elongated roofing members of Moomaw become increasingly difficult to use as the length of the elongated roofing members increases. Furthermore, as in Bayer, there is a substantial amount of material overlap in Moomow.
Hecklesberg '581 and Hecklesberg '775 each disclose elongated roofing members having elongated raised flanges along each of their edges. A first elongated roofing member is interconnected with a second elongated roofing member by disposing a first flange of the first elongated roofing member adjacent a second flange of the second elongated roofing member and pivoting the first elongated roofing member downwardly. The engaged flanges are subsequently interlocked by performing a sequence of bending operations on the flanges to compress them. As in Moomaw, the maneuvering required to engage adjacent elongated roofing members becomes increasingly difficult as the length of the elongated roofing members increases.
Unfortunately, none of the previous roofing methods provide for on-site production of the elongated roofing members. Instead, the roofing members are made at a remote location and must be transported to the site of the structure to which they are assembled to form a roof. Therefore, these roofing members are limited in length to such lengths as can be easily accommodated by a truck. Furthermore, the roofing members are produced in standard sizes, rather than to the proportions of the roof. Thus, in order to assemble a roof from existing elongated roofing members manufactured by existing methods and apparati, some of the elongated roofing members have to be cut to smaller sizes to fit the roof, resulting in a waste of material and labor. On the other hand, when the proportions of the roof exceed the length of the longest elongated roofing member available, it is necessary to use more than one elongated roofing member to cover a single length of roof. While various methods of interconnecting the ends of two elongated roof members are used, each requires a substantial amount of labor and material. Moveover, unless the two adjacent ends of the two elongated roofing members are joined together by one of the more expensive methods, such as welding, the joint is not as durable or as water tight as the elongated roofing members themselves, thus reducing the useful life of the roof or, at least, requiring periodic maintenance.
Even when the length of the elongated roofing members are optimal, the cost associated with transporting them is considerable due to their bulk, as compared, for example, with the bulk of a coil of sheet metal from which they are made. Furthermore, damage often occurs to a portion of the elongated roofing members as a result of the amount of handling required to load them on to a truck at the site of manufacture, unload them from the truck at the work site, raise them to the roof, and maneuver them into mutual engagement.
What is needed, therefore, is a more efficient method and apparatus for roofing constructed from a plurality of elongated roofing members, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art described above. That is, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for the on-site manufacture of elongated roofing members of any preselected length and for interconnecting the elongated roofing members. Furthermore, what is needed are elongated roofing members having a cross-sectional profile that provides a minimal waste of material and a minimal overlap between adjacent elongated roofing members while providing for an inexpensive interconnection therebetween. Finally, what is needed are elongated roofing members having a cross-sectional profile which contributes to the rigidity of the roof constructed therefrom.